Mail box



Jan. 31, 1933. E, w BQWERS 1,895,912

MAIL BOX Filed May 8, 1931 Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED tSrAl'lf- Es` PATENT-oFr-*1c11f EDWARD W, BOWERS, OFMEDINA, NEW .YORK

Application me@ May '8, 1931. seriai Nb. 535,917.

This invention relates `to improvements in mail boxes, and more particularly to mail boxes of the type intended for use in rural communities. I Y

'5 One of its objects is to provide a simple,

inexpensive and practical box of this character having means for indicating to the mail carrier that there may or may not be contents in the box, thereby saving him considerable time in collecting the mail along his route.

A further object of the invention is to provide compact and effective means for restoring the indicator to an inoperative or nondisplay position after the closure of the box has been opened by the carrier for removing its contents.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail box f embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, showing in full lines the indicator and associated parts in its display position, and by dotted lines its non-display position'. Figure 3 is a cross section taken in the plane of line 8 3, Figure 2. Figure 4 is a fragmentary section showing the lock.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing, the same consists of a suitable box 10, of any desired shape or dimensions, supported on a post 11 and open at its front end to permit access to the interior of the box. Extending over this opening,

is a movable closure or cover 12, which may be curved or arcuate in shape, as shown, and

' is mounted for vertically-swinging move-V ment to assume either of the positions shown by full and dotted lines in Figure 2.

The preferred means for mounting the closure 12 to swing vertically consist of side t arms 13 pivoted at 14 to opposite sides of the box, the front ends of these arms being joined to the closure in any appropriate manner. At their rear ends, these arms are connected to depending links 15 pivoted at their lower ends to a vertically-swinging yoke or closureactuating member '16 pivoted at its rear end, as indicated at 1 7, to opposite sides of the box. A counterweight 23 or equivalent elebox. Projecting from 'the front end of "the yoke 16 isa suitable handle "18; Stop 'lugs 19 depend from the box 10 adj acent its front endand are arranged inthe path of movement of the cover-actuating yoke 16 -to. `limit 55 its downwardly-swinging movement or the Y position corresponding to the fully open posi-` tion of the closure 12. By this construction, whenthe yoke 16 is swung from the 'full to l the dotted'line position showny in Figure v2, o the arms y13 are swung in a' direction toy elevate or open the closure, permitting access to the box for the removal of its contents. In practice, a lock is employed for lockingth'e closure. A c

For the purposeo'f indicating tothe car- Y rier or collector of mail that given box contains mail to be picked up, I employ an indicator or signal element which is adapted to' be set by the partyplacing mail in the box and which is adapted, to be automatically shifted to a non-display position at the time the mail is picked up by the carrier. To this end, I employ a suitable indicating element 20'carried by a rocked shaft or hinge pint-le 21 journaled in Vbrackets 22'adjacent tothe lower front side of the box, this element being suitably characterized so that itis clearly visible by the carrier when approaching the ment is applied to the indicatorfornormally holding it in an elevated inoperativejposition against the under side of the box, as shown by dotted lines in Figures 2 and 3. In order to hold the indicator in its pendant display position, the same is provided with a projection or catch 24 Which is adapted to be inserted in a corresponding notch 25 in one of the bearing brackets22. The pinitle 21, to which the indicatoris attached is sl'idably litted in the bearing bracketand the catch 24 is interlocked with the notch 25'by shifting the indicator toward the bracket "to the vposition seen by full lines in. Figure 2.` By, shifting the pintlel 21 rearwardly, Vthe indi`- cator catch 24 is released from its locking notch 25 and the indicator thereupon 4'shifted by its counterweight to a non-display position against the under side of the 'box 10. In order to automatically effect there- Vlease of the indicator'to its non-display position, I provide the pintle 21 with an extension 26Vwhich is arranged in the path of .movement of the yoke 16, so that upon depressing the yoke to open the closure 12 and remove the contents of .the box,`the yoke,

' which-has a camface 27 thereon, trips the pintle kextension to `uvnlatch the indicator 20. y'Io'protect the contents of the box from the weather, the closure 12 is provided along itsmarginal side edges with anges 28 Ywhich overlap the adjoining sides of, the box.l At

' its top edge the closure terminates in a curved Y lip or ange 29 arranged to engage a companion reversely-bent lip orflan'ge! 30 on the box and along the upper end of its opening.

Y Whileany suitable means may be employed forloclging the .closure 12, thatshown in the drawing, 'byw'ay'of example, Consists of la padlocklwhich engages a bracketz32 lsecuredV adjacent to thelower side of the qclo- Y I ls'ureand the cross barof the yoke 16 in the manner shownY in Figure 4, whereby both the p closure 'i and the yoke are securely .fastened against actuationfbykmalicious persons.

It is to be understood .that various .mo'dilications in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to be'limited tothe exact construction herein shown and described'.

. I 'claim as ,my invention 1.l A device of the character described,

aimovable closure therefor, acombined swingelement including means for normally urgvling it to a non-display position, means for latching said element against Aswinging movement in `a display position, and means `c'c'introlled by the movement of said closure inl one'direction for automatically shifting leasinlg said latching means.` Y 2. device 'of the- ,character described, comprising a boxhaving an opening therein,

a movable closure therefor, a swinging .sig-k nal-ing element mounted on one of the boxlwalls to swingtoward andfromvthe'dsame and Vshiftable along its axis and including means for normally urging it to a non-displ ay position, means for llatchingsaid element in a display position, and means controlled by gitudinally and nal displaying position, and lmeans actuated by movement of the closure in one direction for shifting said signal-bearing member lon-y y latching means and effecting the rotation of said member to bring itssignaling element into a non-.display position. Y

a'movable closure therefor, a trip member 'c connected to' saidrclosure, and a signalingk comprising a'box having anopening therein, f

.ing and longitudinally movable signaling n releasing y'the same from said Y n Y fl. A device of the'character described, s 'Y comprising a box having an opening therein,

v'said signaling element longitudinally for rethe movement of said closure'in one direction i for shifting the signaling element along its yaxis forV releasing it from said latching means.

' 3.,.A' device of the character described,

' comprising a box having anope'ning at its vfront end, a movable closure therefor, a signaling element arranged to assume a display Vand la non-display position, a combined rotatable and longitudinally shiftable memyber'for said signaling element 'mounted on said box,'means for latching said shiftable 'y ,member 'against rotary movement in a sig# 

